App Nation Previews: Men’s Basketball

Andy McLean

Head coach Dustin Kerns led the Mountaineers back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000 in his second year at App State. Nearly the entire squad, with the addition of three freshmen, returns to Boone, poised for another late-season run.

Ben Brady, Reporter
August 23, 2021

Prior to bringing in head coach Dustin Kerns at the conclusion of the 2019 season, App State men’s basketball had tallied eight straight losing seasons. In his first season with the program, Kerns led the Mountaineers to 18 wins, their most since 2009-10, including 11 Sun Belt victories, their most conference wins ever. In his second season at the helm, App State won its first Sun Belt conference title and earned its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2000.

Entering the Sun Belt Conference tournament tied for seventh place in the Sun Belt standings, and having lost six of their final seven regular-season games, the Mountaineers secured four victories in four days, including consecutive overtime battles against regular-season league champion Texas State, and East No. 2 seed Coastal Carolina. The run culminated in an 80-73 victory over No. 1 seed Georgia State, securing the Mountaineers’ conference title.

Graduate guard Michael Almonacy, who joined the team as a transfer senior prior to the 2019 season, erupted for a career-high 32 points in the championship-clinching game. For his efforts of 21.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game, on top of a tournament record 20 3-pointers, Almonacy was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

Senior guard Justin Forrest, who was named First Team All-Sun Belt after the 2019-20 season, was named Second Team All-Sun Belt and to the Sun Belt All-Tournament team after averaging 20.0 points and scoring in double figures each game. Forrest currently ranks third in program history with 1,828 points, just 357 behind all-time leader Donald Sims. He also ranks fourth in career 3-point field goals made, fourth in steals, and ninth in assists.

Junior guard Adrian Delph, who tallied career-high numbers in points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks, was named Third Team All-Sun Belt alongside Almonacy. Delph continued a high level of play into the Sun Belt Tournament, where he averaged 17.8 points per game.

Though the Mountaineers lost their NCAA Tournament opener in a close 54-53 defeat, with the presence of a young core, returning experienced veterans, and with coach Kerns extended through the 2026 season, the future of the program is bright.

Leave a Comment

Donate to The Appalachian

$6135

$10000

Contributed

Our Goal

We hope you appreciate this article! Before you move on, our student staff wanted to ask if you would consider supporting The Appalachian's award-winning journalism. We are celebrating our 90th anniversary of The Appalachian in October 2024!

We receive funding from the university, which helps us to compensate our students for the work they do for The Appalachian. However, the bulk of our operational expenses — from printing and website hosting to training and entering our work into competitions — is dependent upon advertising revenue and donations. We cannot exist without the financial and educational support of our fellow departments on campus, our local and regional businesses, and donations of money and time from alumni, parents, subscribers and friends.

Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest, both on campus and within the community. From anywhere in the world, readers can access our paywall-free journalism, through our website, through our email newsletter, and through our social media channels. Our supporters help to keep us editorially independent, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone.

If you can, please consider supporting us with a financial gift from $10. We appreciate your consideration and support of student journalism at Appalachian State University. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, or if you would prefer to make a recurring monthly gift, please give to The Appalachian Student News Fund through the university here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1727/cg20/form.aspx?sid=1727&gid=2&pgid=392&cid=1011&dids=418.15&bledit=1&sort=1.

About the Contributor

Ben Brady, Reporter

Ben Brady (he/him) is a senior journalism major, history minor, from Raleigh, NC. This is his fourth year with The Appalachian.